


There's A Strange Exhilaration

by thelilacfield



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Love, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-01-31
Packaged: 2018-03-09 21:09:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3264479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelilacfield/pseuds/thelilacfield
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez are three of NYADA's most well-known students. Dancing through life, they glide into Blaine Anderson's life on his very first day. Blaine's life is changed forever when his roommates challenge him to hang out with the gilded trio and show people that they're not as perfect as everyone thinks. Mean Girls AU set at NYADA.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's A Strange Exhilaration

**A/N:** Title taken from  _What Is This Feeling?_ from Wicked

* * *

 

Blaine opens his eyes to the unfamiliar noise of the city, the rumbling of congested traffic and shouting on the street below. Scrubbing one sleeve across his face, he rolls over to look at the collection of good luck cards jostling for space on his nightstand, and tugs the charger out of his phone to get rid of the red notification bubbles before leaving the roll of blankets he's made for himself. He has a lot of texts, pictures of his friends at their new schools, or preparing for the day. He screenshots Tina's snapchat of Mike glaring at the camera from their bed and returns Sam's selfie - captioned  _I can start college tomorrow, right?_  - with one of his own - captioned  _Get out of bed, Sam._

"Wake up, fresher!" Dani sings in a piercing voice as she swings into his room, a wide grin stretching her pink cheeks and her electric blue flip-flops matching her hair perfectly. "Come on, Elliot's making breakfast. Appreciate it, it happens about once a year."

"Shut  _up_ , Dani!" Elliott shouts from the kitchen, and Blaine laughs softly. He's only lived with the pair for a month, but they've already become incredibly close friends of his, helping to heal the breach left by separating from his old friends and smooth his transition from Ohio into New York with as little upheaval as possible. They taught him everything he knows about the inner workings of the city.

Rolling out of bed, Blaine follows Dani into the kitchen, where Elliott is laying a plate of pancakes on the small table, already set up with plates and all the toppings they could possible want on their pancakes. "Looks delicious, dear," Dani says, and kisses Elliott on the mouth. Blaine just rolls his eyes - he's used to the two of them behaving like a couple, knowing that if anyone so much as mentions the idea of them together they'll be greeted with a long tale of their friendship and how weird it would be to date someone they've known for that long.

He eats quickly, then showers, carefully styling his hair in the mirror and choosing his clothes with the most critical eye he'll ever have. After he's settled on an elegant grey blazer and tight black jeans, set off by a pink shirt - no bowtie, for now - he returns to the communal living space, blushing and grinning when he's greeted by two ear-splitting wolf-whistles. "Damn, Blaine, you'll be turning every head at NYADA," Elliott says, and Blaine blushes deeper, ducking his head bashfully. "Own it, fresher. You'll make the best kind of impression."

"We're coming with you, by the way," Dani says, pulling up the fallen strap of her dress and linking her arm through Elliott's. "It's a nice day, and I need to get Elliott out for his vitamin D before he retreats into his cave to write songs. And since I'm not working until four, we're going to come scouting for talent for our band."

Sliding on her sunglasses, Dani hooks her other arm through Blaine's and the three of them set off, Blaine's satchel bumping against his hip and Dani's hair brighter than ever in the sunlight. It'll probably give him a much needed confidence boost, walking into his new school with his two new friends. He feels like a new person, walking into NYADA for the first time, smiling when Dani makes a beeline for the small student coffee shop. New York - new city, new life, new Blaine.

"Medium drip," Dani says, pressing the coffee cup into his hand. "You've got Cassie July first, you'll need to be caffeinated and wearing your thickest skin. She's the devil on which all other demons in show business will be judged." And then she's off again, joining the line of students on the escalator, and Elliott is rolling her eyes and following after her.

"Why aren't any of them in classes?" Blaine wonders to himself, and the girl in front of him turns around, lowering her sunglasses to look at him over them. He finds himself staring in wonder at her - a girl who looks every inch the kind of star he'd expect to see in Manhattan. Everything about her reeks of luxury, from the discrete designer logo on her sunglasses to her high,  _high_  heels, and the way she looks at him makes him feel about as big as an ant about to be squashed under one of those sharp stilettos.

"The first day back at NYADA always opens with a performance from some of the more promising students," she says, looking him up and down, and then sliding her sunglasses back into place as if she's done with him. "Make sure to join us, fresher. Better find out who's famous around here quickly."

Dani and Elliott are waiting at the top of the escalator, when Blaine's shaken off the stunned feeling from the encounter, and both are glaring after the girl clicking away to Auditorium A, the biggest one in the building. "What a bitch," Dani says immediately, and Blaine almost takes a step back, overwhelmed by the unadulterated venom in her voice. "Why didn't she just leave the designer label hanging out the back of her dress, huh?"

"That's Santana Lopez," Elliott says, putting a protective hand on Blaine's arm and drawing him closer to them. "She's an evil bitch - Dani's ex. But she lives a charmed existence around here, everyone fawns over her. She's only a sophomore, but she already has a national commercial and her and her friends live in a Manhattan studio apartment that costs four times as much as our place. Her dad's a doctor and her mom's an ex-model, so she's got access to completely unlimited funds."

"She's very beautiful," Blaine observes quietly, tracing a crack in the floor with the pointed toe of his perfectly shined shoes. He hates hearing people talk about each other like this - he'll never join in with Dani and Elliott's bitching. Everyone has a silver lining to them - however imperceptible it might be.

"So was the devil, allegedly," Dani spits, and pulls Blaine behind one of the columns when another girl floats past, just as beautiful as Santana.

She's eerily similar, also dressed expensively and wafting perfume, her perfect curls bouncing on her bare shoulders. As she passes them, she's talking animatedly into her phone, and Blaine hears a snatch of, "I just can't this week, darling, I'm so exhausted. Six shows a week on top of school is taxing, you know. It's just really hard being a star."

Blaine watches her as she goes, heading the same way, and turns to look at Dani and Elliott, their faces both hard with loathing. "Who's that?" he asks. "She seems kinda familiar."

"That's Rachel Berry, Broadway's newest bitch," Elliott says harshly. "She's playing Fanny Bryce on Broadway at the moment, been getting rave reviews all summer. She had a big ego before - now her head's so swollen she's lucky she fits on the stage. But, again, she's one of Santana's best friends and untouchable, and dating a NYADA senior and favourite of Cassie July. Rumour has it the relationship's on the rocks."

"I hope so, the bitch needs to be knocked down a peg," Dani says scathingly, and Blaine winces once again. Having gone through a difficult break-up himself, right before moving, he wouldn't wish the same thing on anyone. "I guess the third member of the gilded trio is already waiting in the auditorium - let's go. We'll find some talent and they give out a free lunch on the first day - might as well take advantage of the hospitality of the school who rejected Elliott."

"You may have heard of the third of that set," Dani says to Blaine as they follow the flooding crowds into the auditorium. "His dad is Burt Hummel, a congressman. He represents your home state."

"I know him!" Blaine says, thinking about the kind face from the campaign ads, and the man who tries to give everything he promised. How can his two friends have a bad thing to say about the son of a man like that? "His stance on bullying in schools persuaded my parents to vote for him."

"Clearly, his son inherited none of his better qualities," Elliott says, and Blaine winces. "Apparently, Kurt was bullied in high school and that's why Burt's campaign included that stuff, but you wouldn't know it now. He got in on a second audition, and he's clearly Carmen Tibideaux's favourite. He won Midnight Madness and since then he's legend, everybody worships him. There's talk of a director who's seen him sing and wants to start a revival of Next To Normal for him. He's the worst - all three of them are."

The lights in the auditorium fade to black, and the chatter dies to a rumble of mumbling, and then nothing. A frisson of excitement runs through the crowd like a spark of electricity as Carmen Tibideaux glides onto the stage, hushing the crowd with a mere look, the picture of grace and confidence, commanding the room. "Welcome, students," she says, and Blaine feels as if her eyes miss none of the faces in the room, committing each other to memory. "This showcase is a grand tradition, and perhaps, in time, some of you will be included. But, for now, these students are the best our school has to offer - each and every one of you should admire them." Dani scoffs next to Blaine, and Carmen actually looks affectionate as she sweeps a hand out and says, "First onto stage, supported by Ms. July's best dancers, are Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez."

Darkness falls across the stage, and there is silence, everyone too tense to speak. And then the music starts, the backing dancers singing a familiar melody, and the spotlights come down on each performer. Blaine's breath catches in his throat, because all three look stunning, confident and blazing with talent, simply dressed in their black leotards. What they have doesn't need decoration - honest, pure, God-given talent. Both women are wearing scarlet lipstick, hair tied neatly back, lithe and long-legged, but neither as effortlessly, ethereally beautiful as Kurt, skin looking pale and perfect as marble against his black clothes, hair teased up higher than Blaine would've thought possible.

And  _God_ , when they start to sing, a chill goes through Blaine, the hair on the back of his neck standing up and a shiver going down his spine. No wonder Rachel is playing the lead of an iconic Broadway show at nineteen - she's incredible, a true star shining on the stage. No wonder Santana has a national commercial - her presence is incredible, magnetic, she's a performer no one could drag their eyes away from. No wonder Kurt is the favourite of the notoriously picky Carmen Tibideaux - he's unlike anything Blaine has seen before, an incredible dancer and even more wonderful singer, voice soaring to the high notes, smouldering at his audience. As a trio, they're unstoppable - the applause damn near takes the roof off.

Each of them visit the stage separately too - Rachel sings  _As Long As You're Mine_  with her boyfriend, Jesse, perched on the piano as he plays, the two of them smiling adoringly into each other's eyes; Santana goes through a series of incredibly acrobatic dance moves with four other dancers while belting out  _Out Tonight_  to cheers that take the roof off; Kurt gathers whooping and shouts of encouragement with an energetic performance of  _Not The Boy Next Door_  - and all three take their bows together, clinging to each other's hands and beaming.

Blaine can feel the waves of animosity rolling off Dani and Elliott, and doesn't leap to his feet and cheer like he wants to, instead clapping politely until the lights return. "Thank God we've got you now, Blaine," Elliott says, hoisting his guitar over his shoulder like a shield. "Three against three. The world needs to say that they aren't who they say they are. They're not perfect."

They leave together, and Blaine checks his schedule to see that his first class is with the notorious Cassandra July. "I'll see you this afternoon," he says. "Do you need to go to the store on the way home?"

"We have alcohol, that's all you really need," Elliott says, and Dani smacks him across the shoulder with an unimpressed look. "We'll go to the Spotlight Diner for dinner tonight and I'll do a grocery run tomorrow. Better for me not to have to interact with smiling people after that little display."

Blaine watches them leave with uncertainty roiling in his belly - he just doesn't know what to think of them. They've been so nice to him since the first time he contacted them about the room, never questioning him and welcoming him into what had previously been a close-knit friendship between the two of them. But now, seeing them being so cruel about the trio, he's not sure how he feels. He's never liked bullies.

* * *

As October rushes in, bringing with it colder weather and rain sweeping through the streets, Blaine is thriving in New York. He always knew he was meant to be here, and his new quality of life only proves it. Although his parents are still giving him an allowance - and a pretty generous one at that - he wants to move towards being self-sufficient, and manages to find a job tending bar as the nights grow darker. The patrons love him and are respectful, leaving him tips and asking about his life.

He's flourishing at NYADA too, charming teachers and finding a knot of friends there, people who've come from all over the country to attend this school. He's more muscular from dance class already, growing leaner like the dancers, and Cassandra July, though still abrasive and heavily critical, seems to like him.

The only thing that disappoints him is that he hasn't interacted with any of the gilded trio since his very first day. They're all in dance classes together - he signed up for the advanced level, knowing he could hold his own and wanting to push himself - but they stay in their threesome, and don't acknowledge him. He knows that Dani and Elliott can't be right about them - there are two sides to every story. But if they won't let him get to know them, he can't prove his roommates wrong.

"Attention!" Everyone freezes at Cassandra's voice, her whip dangling menacingly from one hand as she looks out over all of them. "Today was okay. But, as you all know, each month the departments come together to issue a challenge, and this month it falls to me to choose the candidates. A song has been chosen for you, and you will be required to both sing the song and perform a dance to it. The song is  _What Is This Feeling?_  from Wicked, which I am sure you all know." Turning his head, Blaine catches the excitement on Kurt and Rachel's faces, and suppresses a smile at how sweet they look, red-faced from exertion and wearing baggy hoodies over their leotards. "The twist given to us by the acting professors is to put an emphasis on sexual tension between the two performers."

She takes the elegant top hat from the piano, and holds it out to her TA. The first scrap of paper is handed to her, and she reads, "Kurt Hummel," to applause, and both Santana and Rachel gripping Kurt's arms and beaming proudly at him. Surely -  _surely_  - the three of them can't be all bad. People as vindictive and cruel as Dani and Elliott believe would never support each other the way the trio do. The breath of anticipation seems to stretch on and on as Cassandra waits for the name of the second soloist, and the silence is deafening when she finally says, "Blaine Anderson. Both of you, to the front."

Blaine has never felt more exposed in his dancewear, as he joins Kurt - beautiful, ethereal, stunning Kurt - at the front of the room, pulling his hoodie further down to hide himself. "I expect you two to give me a full report on some progress by the end of the day," Cassandra says. "You can have this room until five o'clock if you want to practice. Class dismissed.

"Hey, Blaine!" At the sound of his name as the class files out, Blaine turns to see Kurt bearing down on him, his bag swinging wildly from one shoulder. "Since we're performing together, I think we should get to know each other - especially since the dance is supposed to be sensual." As Rachel and Santana come up to flank him, he gestures to the three of them and asks, "Would you like to get lunch with us? We're going to this pasta place that Rachel loves."

Looking at the three of them - not so intimidating out of their expensive clothes, with hair tied up or limp with sweat, red sprawling across their cheeks - Blaine smiles and says, "I'd love to. Shall we take twenty minutes to get cleaned up and meet downstairs?"

The three of them nod, and Blaine runs to the changing rooms with his face burning out of joy, showering in a haze of happiness and getting dressed as quickly as he can. His face is still red, but the cold of the day will drain that quickly, and his ensemble is all grey and white with a moss green silk bowtie that Cooper sent him as a 'Congratulations on surviving your first month of college' gift that makes his eyes look amazing - nothing can clash. He feels confident as he laces his shoes and puts his wallet and phone in the pockets of his black coat, one that makes him feel taller and more like a potential star.

When he meets the gilded trio at the bottom of the stairs, they're all holding mugs of coffee, and Rachel holds one out to him with a shy smile. "We don't know your coffee order, so we just got you a medium drip," she says. "I hope that's alright."

"You must be psychic, that's my usual order," Blaine says, and all three of them look pleasantly surprised. "Lead the way, then. I can't wait to find all the amazing restaurants hidden in this city."

As they walk, the day cold enough to have their breath hanging on the air in front of them, Blaine takes in the glamorous, sleek appearances of the trio. Santana and Rachel have both somehow managed to perfect their hair and re-apply their make-up in twenty minutes, and he admires their ability to still walk in their heels after an hour in dance class. They're both stunning, as if they could be anything but, but it's Kurt that Blaine stares at. He can't imagine Kurt being anywhere but New York, the way he dresses and holds himself and seems to belong completely in this city. He's too glamorous to be from anywhere else.

The prettiest waitress in the restaurant comes running to hug Rachel as soon as they walk in, chattering as she hangs their coats up and ushers them to a table tucked into the back. "Thank you so much, Ella," Rachel says, beaming at the redhead. "We'll order in ten minutes." Taking her seat and smoothing down her skirt, she says, "We always request a table in the back to avoid being recognised."

Santana is staring at Blaine with narrowed eyes, mouth a hard line of resignation, and finally she says, "Was I rude to you on the very first day of school?" Blaine hesitates, and then nods, to laughs from both Kurt and Rachel and a smirk from Santana. "Sorry, honey, don't take it personally, I'm rude to everybody. But you must be special - we don't invite just any duet partner out to lunch with us. Are you a show choir brat like us?"

"Dalton Academy Warblers," Blaine says with a modest shrug. "We won Nationals this year."

"We were the McKinley High New Directions!" Rachel exclaims, clapping her hands in excitement. "We competed against each other our junior and senior years, but we managed to overtake you both times. Good for you guys, breaking out of our shadow and going all the way. I'm sure it was all you, Blaine."

"Well, I was the lead soloist," Blaine says, and Santana laughs. "The show choir blogs all say our most iconic performance was  _Teenage Dream_  at the 2010 Sectionals."

"Oh my God, I remember that!" Santana says, and smiles at Blaine. "The Warblers were really great that year, surprising we got past you. And Kurt loved that performance. What was the word you used, Kurt? Oh,  _right_ , you told us fifty times on the bus back how  _dreamy_  the lead singer was."

Rachel and Santana both laugh as two spots of red flare high on Kurt's cheeks and he snaps, "Shut up, San." Picking up the menu, he changes the subject with a nonchalant, "So, what are we going to order? Blaine, the tomato and basil pasta is the best thing I've ever tasted, it comes highly recommended."

The conversation between the four of them is so easy, and Blaine can't help feeling like these people are completely different from those Dani and Elliott described. They've welcomed him into their group quickly and easily, and they're all laughing as they swap stories about their show choir days. Rachel is telling a story that ends with the line, "And so his wife got  _fired_  for drugging us all!" when Kurt turns to Blaine with a magnetic smile and puts a hand over his arm, almost making him choke on his drink.

"What time does your last class finish?" he asks softly, and for a moment Blaine is overwhelmed by such a beautiful man sitting so close to him, talking in that soft, slightly breathy voice.

"Um...two thirty," Blaine says, and pretends not to notice Santana and Rachel exchanging smirks at the way he stumbles over his words.

"Perfect, we can rehearse in Ms. July's studio after that," Kurt says with a bright smile. "I've seen you in those group exercises, Blaine - you're a very original choreographer. I'm sure that our combined genius will come up with a dance the likes of which NYADA has never seen before. Sparks will fly." Blaine's not sure if he's imagining it, or if Kurt really does glance hotly at him from beneath his lashes when he says those words. Either way, his knees turn to liquid and he's very glad he's sitting down - the great and glorious and gorgeous Kurt Hummel is flirting with him.

"I'm looking forward to it," he says, and flushes when Rachel giggles and Santana winks at him across the table and mouths  _Smooth_. The blush deepens even further when their desserts arrive and his eyes end up glued to Kurt licking whipped cream off his fingers, eyes falling closed and a deep, pornographic sigh echoing around the table when he takes his first bite.

Santana elbows Kurt in the side, and he opens his eyes with a sweet, innocent smile. "Was I doing it again?" he asks, and both women roll their eyes and nod. "Sorry, ladies. You might want to give me and this cake a room." He smirks at Blaine, and both women clutch each other and laugh. Rachel leans over to whisper in Kurt's ear, and then all three turn to Blaine with smiles on their faces. "You seem like a great guy, Blaine," Kurt says, earnest and sweet, and Blaine beams at the praise. "Will you keep eating with us? I know we shouldn't say so, but-"

"We're some of the top bitches at NYADA," Santana says, shrugging at Kurt's glare. "Come on, K, we worked hard to get where we are and sacrificed a lot. Rising to the top has brought us all closer together even though we fight like divas, because we've lost a lot of other people to get into this business."

"We're not saying that you'll achieve what we have if you become friends with us," Rachel says hastily, taking over from Santana's monologue. "But we can definitely offer you connections, if you want them. I know not everyone who goes to NYADA wants to break into show business immediately. Mostly, we just want you to be our friend. You're sweet, and charming."

"And God knows our little group could use an injection of sweet and charming," Kurt remarks with a wink, and ducks Santana's hand trying to slap him across the back of the head. "I'm insulting myself as much as I'm insulting you two!" Then he lays a hand over Blaine's, and his heart leaps. "What we're trying to say is, maybe you could try just hanging out with us for the rest of the week? Not everyone likes us, we're a little-"

"Bitchy."

"I was going to say abrasive, but Santana puts it just as well," Kurt says dryly, and Blaine smothers a laugh. "Anyway, it might be a little awkward if I have to perform a sensual dance with someone I barely know. Just...get to know us?"

Blaine looks at them, seeing the glamour stripped away and hope in their eyes, like children. Kurt's hand over his is warm, his skin impossibly soft, and Rachel is beaming at him across the table. "I'd like that," he finally says, and Kurt's smile is quite possibly the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. "I haven't managed to make any friends yet. Being friends with you three will make my street cred rocket."

They laugh then, and order their coffees, and Blaine stares at the table, unable to stop smiling. These three, the best and the brightest of NYADA, they want to be friends with him. They're asking him to be a part of their group. It's acceptance the likes of which he could never have dreamed of, and it's everything he's ever wanted. As they walk back to school, Kurt is standing close enough to him to make his breath catch in his throat, and for a moment their fingers brush, and Kurt looks at him with a telling smile, his eyes gleaming.

Blaine drifts through his afternoon class, textbook open in front of him but the words blurring in favour of daydreams about his future with the gilded trio - in particular, with  _Kurt_  - and, even though he runs across the school when the class is dismissed, Kurt is somehow already in the studio, perfection in his leotard and stretching out on the barre, one long leg raised impossibly high as he smiles at Blaine. "Hey gorgeous," he says, and Blaine immediately blushes, clutching his bag closer like a shield. "Get changed quickly, I've discussed a few choreography ideas with Santana. She wants to help, but she's working tonight, so it's just you and me. I thought we could rehearse the song first and work in some simple moves."

When Blaine comes back, Kurt is reading the sheet music attentively, bent over the piano to play certain notes. Blaine's gaze falls to Kurt's - perfect, round, pert, high - ass in skintight black, and then he quickly snatches it away again. It's not right to ogle him - he's not even sure if Kurt's flirting is because he's interested or because he's one of those natural flirts. "I was thinking," Kurt says without turning around, and Blaine swallows hard, stepping nervously closer, "that sensual and sexual are two completely different things."

Placing the sheet music neatly on top of the piano, he crosses to Blaine and slides his arms around his neck, his breath warm on Blaine's face. "If they wanted the dance to be sexual, the solution would be obvious. Grinding and grabbing and heavy breathing, it's not hard to be sexual." As he speaks, his voice soft and the very definition of sensual, he presses his hips forward into Blaine's, an exaggerated circle that has Blaine swallowing again. "But sensual is about so much more. Like the touch of the fingertips," Kurt's fingers brush against his, and Blaine's breath stutters against his will, "and the way two people look at each other across a crowded room. We need to take our audience's breath away."

"I-I was thinking," Blaine says quickly, blushing at the crack in his voice, and stepping away from Kurt before his body can get carried away with the moment - that long, lithe body, firm with muscle, against his, Kurt's eyes gazing into his, his perfect pink lips parted and  _so close_ , "that we have to change the meaning of the lyrics. Originally, they're about two people who hate each other - but there's a thin line between love and hate. And especially with the first verse, the words can be interpreted differently to make the audience believe that these two are breathless with each other." Clearing his throat, he affects his most business-like voice and asks, "Do you want to sing Galinda or Elphaba?"

"Galinda," Kurt answers immediately. " _Defying Gravity_  may be my swan song of choice, but Rachel and I have always agreed that she'd play Elphaba and I'd play Galinda if we ever got the chance." Sitting down at the piano, he says, "I play a little. Shall we try singing the song before anything else?" Blaine nods, and then he's swept up in the moment, listening to Kurt's soaring voice and putting his own part in with complete confidence. It doesn't take longer than a few minutes to realise how good they sound together. Natural. Fitting.

By the time Blaine makes it back to the apartment, his mind is spinning with the way he and Kurt bounce so easily off each other, choreographing easily together, creating a perfect blend of the explicit and the implicit wanting that their characters have for each other. He's still blushing from the memory of Kurt wrapping one leg around his hips, pushing their groins together, fire in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. And that moment when they were saying goodbye on the steps as Blaine dug around in his pockets for his subway fare, their eyes meeting and that brief moment when Kurt seemed to be leaning in.

But it's absurd, when they've known each other less than a day. Even if the tension between them is hot as sin, and Kurt keeps flirting with him, Blaine knows better than to throw himself at someone he barely knows. "Hey fresher!" Dani calls as the door swings shut behind him, sprawled out across the couch with a towel wrapped around her head, a book propped up on her lap. "You wait until you see my new hair, it's going to be a brighter red than you've ever seen. How was your day?"

"Weird," Blaine says. "I've been paired with Kurt for a performance, we're singing a duet and dancing together, so him, Rachel and Santana invited me out to lunch. And the oddest thing is, they've asked me to be friends with them and keep going for lunch with them at least until the end of the week. They want to get to know me."

Of all the possible reactions, he doesn't expect Dani to start laughing, her eyes gleaming with mischief as she turns to look at him. "Oh my God, that's amazing!" she shouts, and Blaine jerks back, amazed by her enthusiasm. "Look, you have to do it, okay? You have to hang out with them and then tell us about all the horrible things they say!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Dani," Blaine says, shucking off his coat and hanging it up, just to avoid her gaze. "Kurt and Rachel and Santana, they all seem...well, sweet."

"Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry, and Santana Lopez?" Dani scoffs, and Blaine winces at the venom in her voice. "They're not sweet, they're scum-sucking roadwhores!"

"They're fabulous, but they're evil," Elliott agrees from his perch at the desk, the light turned onto his sheet as he writes frantically. "Don't be taken in by their charm, Blaine."

Blaine has to swallow a laugh at the memory of Kurt's self-deprecating comment, and retires to his room, shutting the door firmly behind him and collapsing onto the bed, pulling his phone out of the front pocket of his satchel. It's already blinking with unread texts.

**From: Rachel**

**Want to go shopping with me this weekend? Kurt's insisting that I need to go look at some of the new winter looks, but I can't face it alone.**

**From: Santana**

**Boy, you really did a number on Kurt. He's been floating around the apartment since he got home.**

**From: Kurt**

**What time do you finish classes tomorrow? I want to firm up our choreography before we teach the simpler moves to the rest of the class.**

Smiling at his phone, Blaine starts to text all three of them back, fingers flying as he gets caught up in three separate conversations. This is the kind of friendship he's been searching for since he, Sam and Tina all went their separate ways - friendly companionship and knowing these people want to spend time with him.

* * *

"Performance day is upon us!" Cassandra shouts across the classroom, winding the end of her whip between her fingers and smirking around at the class. "As you all know, professor input is not allowed in these challenges, so whatever I see here today is your work entirely. Let's pray that you impress me."

She leaves for five minutes in order to allow them to prepare, and Kurt finds Blaine immediately, his hands steady but his eyes betraying his nerves. "Are you ready?" he asks gently, and Blaine nods, hard. "Alright. Just remember the moves and try to stay in character. This is your first challenge, so there will be some leniency." Lowering his voice, he murmurs, "But this is quite often used to decide who performs in the Winter Showcase, so if we do well, perhaps they'll ask for a reprise. I have a lot of faith in you, Blaine."

"I trust you," Blaine promises, and there's something entirely unreadable in Kurt's eyes. It's only been two weeks, but Blaine knows that both of them can feel the inevitable pull between them, reeling them both in. Kurt's gaze flickers down to Blaine's lips, his hands on Blaine's waist, and both of them lean in at the same time, their lips grazing for a split second. When Kurt pulls back, Blaine is the first to breathe, "Sorry."

Kurt just smiles at him, and squeezes his hand. "Don't be." And then he's gone, walking over to talk the knot of other students through their moves for the final time, and Blaine is left with a pounding heart, scrambling into position and trying to pull down the shields over the parts of his mind that are Blaine Anderson, sinking into character. Not that there's much difference between his character's desire to kiss Kurt's breath away and his own.

Cassandra returns with the heads of the drama and vocal departments, and they all settle into their chairs, waiting to judge their performance. Kurt comes to stand beside Blaine, and there's a quiet, "Whenever you're ready." Blaine nods to Kurt, who nods to the musician waiting for them, and the music begins.

The performance sweeps Blaine away completely, caught up in the twisting and turning, him and Kurt circling each other like animals preparing for a fight, and then meeting, wrapped around each other in a way that's undeniably sexual. Blaine's head is swimming with Kurt's closeness, and he swears that he feels Kurt half-hard against his thigh as they grind together. Kurt told him in rehearsals to imagine that the dance was half in the real world, half in fantasy - in reality, their characters can only look at each other, always apart, never able to express themselves. But in their fantasies, they come together, grabbing and pushing, and the crowd of students around them push them closer together.

With Kurt's heavy breathing in his ear and their bodies sealed tightly together, it takes Blaine several seconds to hear the applause from their professors. It's only polite, but when he looks at them he can see the pride in their eyes, and slowly slides his hand down Kurt's thigh, relishing in the shudder it elicits before Kurt lowers his leg to the floor and picks up a towel and a water bottle, wrapping the towel around his neck and taking several gulps of water. "I'm almost impressed, boys," Cassandra says, and Blaine has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning too hugely. "It was some very clever choreography, and you've definitely captured some hidden sensuality in the lyrics. I think this partnership has a lot of potential."

 _Tell me about it_  Blaine thinks as he catches Kurt's eyes. He thinks about their almost-kiss before the performance, the way Kurt felt pressed against him in their fantasy dancing, and he makes his decision - something like this is too good to let it slip through his fingers. Striding over to Kurt, he asks, "Can I walk you home?" and only smiles when Kurt nods, almost too eager.

Blaine takes longer than he usually would to clean himself up again after class is over, lingering at the mirror to perfect his hair, making absolutely sure that there are no creases in his shirt and that his bowtie is neat. He even stoops to snapping a picture of himself in the mirror and sending it to Tina with the caption  **Think I can hook Kurt looking like this?**  He receives the response while he's in line to buy two coffees and take-away cheesecake from the campus coffeeshop, and grins as he reads  **You look delicious. Go get him, boo ;)**.

"For me?" Blaine looks up at Kurt, and his heart skips a beat to see him looking so beautiful. He hasn't fixed his hair back into its usual style, and a thick curl hangs down over his eyes. His eyelashes look impossibly long, his eyes shining, and the sharp cut of the coat he's wearing is doing everything for him. Taking the cup of coffee from Blaine's hand, he leans in to kiss his cheek, very softly, and then holds out a gloved hand. "Shall we?"

If Blaine had wanted confirmation that Kurt is very interested in him, he gets it walking through the streets of Manhattan together, their hands linked at their sides, steam rising from their coffees. Kurt seems to find every excuse to move closer to him, and his heart is pounding. Should he make a move? Or does he wait for Kurt to make one? What if they try to kiss each other and end up knocking heads or their teeth clash or-

"This is me," Kurt says, and Blaine's train of thought abruptly grinds to a halt as they stand outside the apartment door, Kurt bobbing on the balls of his feet and chewing on his lower lip. "So...um...I'll text you later. Maybe we could all go out for dinner this weekend?"

Blaine thinks  _Screw your courage to the sticking place_ , imagining Tina saying it, and takes a deep, fortifying breath. "What if just you and me went out this weekend?" he asks. "I know a nice, quiet place that serves amazing mac and cheese. We could go dancing too, if you want."

"Are you asking me out?" Kurt asks, and the look in his eyes is so full of hope that Blaine can only smile and nod. "Oh  _Blaine_...I would love to go out with you. I can't imagine anything better."

Beaming at him, Blaine plants both hands gently on Kurt's waist and draws him closer, raising his head to kiss him. It's not just a brush of their lips like it was before the dance, it's a honest to God  _kiss_ , Kurt exhaling harshly and winding his arms around Blaine's neck, pressing closer, mouth opening as their bodies meet.

"Well, no one could've predicted that this was going to happen," comes a comment, heavily laced with sarcasm, and Blaine tears himself reluctantly away from Kurt to see Santana and Rachel both peering out of the door, both trying to hide to fact that they're smiling. "Nice one, boys. I've never seen two people make moves on each other faster."

"Shut up, San," Kurt says, but there's very little force or fire behind his words, his cheeks pink and eyes shining, and he's still holding onto Blaine. And then they're kissing again, pulses racing and faces heating, and Blaine pulls Kurt even closer, letting out a soft noise that could be called a groan when he feels Kurt's tongue against his, Kurt's hands lowering to the small of his back to crush their bodies together. When they finally part, they're both breathing heavily, and smiling into each other's eyes. Kurt clears his throat, and smiles shyly, and says, "I'll text you. Um...so...are we a  _thing_  now?"

Meeting Kurt's earnest eyes, Blaine smiles and says, "Of course we are, if you want to be. I've wanted to call you mine since the first time I saw you." Kurt beams down at him, and they're kissing again, softer and sweeter than before, Kurt's fingers gripping Blaine's shoulder and Blaine's hand curved around the side of Kurt's neck. It's so perfect, the way their lips match and move together, and it seems like days before they finally break apart. "Let's get coffee tomorrow morning," Blaine suggests as Kurt toys with the collar of his coat, tracing the cool edges of the buttons with his fingertips. "In the student coffeeshop, before class."

"Sounds perfect," Kurt says softly, and they fall into another kiss so naturally. It comes so easily, this connection between them, and in the back of his mind Blaine wonders how he can possibly have been so lucky. Kurt's eyes are still closed when the kiss breaks, and he sighs and murmurs, "I swear, if my roommates weren't home right now..." He looks at Blaine with dark eyes, and the corner of his mouth curls up in a smirk. "The things I would do to you, Blaine Anderson."

"Sounds fascinating," Blaine retorts, even though he can feel the heat rush through him, probably making him blush. "You can tell me more about that tomorrow morning. Perhaps we could snatch a little time alone in one of the student bathrooms?"

"I like the way you think," Kurt says, that flirty arch in his eyebrows, and Blaine just can't help but kiss him again. It's not his fault that his boyfriend -  _boyfriend_ , Kurt Hummel is his brand-new  _boyfriend_  - is so adorable with his wide, happy eyes and kiss-swollen lips and pink-splashed cheeks. Or that he smells so amazing, or feels so warm, or tastes so perfect with every long, drawn-out kiss tinged with desperation. He wants to be closer, the need sharp in his stomach, he wants to be wrapped around Kurt so tightly they might never separate, wants to feel every inch of him and kiss him until their heads are spinning with lack of oxygen.

Finally,  _finally_ , they separate, starry-eyed and dazed, grinning at each other with their pink cheeks and intertwined fingers. And then Kurt is hugging him, chin hooked over his shoulder, and Blaine kisses his cheek and murmurs, "I'll call you." When he finally leaves, his lips are still tingling and the November chill does nothing to calm the blush in his cheeks.

He's glad for the empty apartment he returns to, so he can put on his loudest, happiest playlist and dance around his room like an idiot, jumping on the bed and finally sending a mass text to all of his old friends.

**To: Sam, Tina, Mike, Brittany, Artie and 6 others**

**So I have a boyfriend now ;)**

**From: Tina**

**OHMYGOSH! TELL ME EVERYTHING!**

**From: Sam**

**Want me to come and give him the 'you hurt him I hurt you' speech?**

**From: Brittany**

**Yay! You've finally found the unicorn you deserve!**

**From: Sugar**

**Can I be bridesmaid at your wedding?**


End file.
